Chapter 1: The Spring-colored beauty
The repeatedly loud drummings of a finger on a wooden desk occupied the silent room of the Student Council. The sun is now starting to set and disappear from the eyes of the humans, emitting a golden-colored rays that reaches the vast skies.
An orange-haired boy sits on the largest working table of the room, relaxing his posture on the swivel chair he have been using for a long time. His sharp, lavender eyes is starting to slowly glow on the dark as his lips repeatedly pursed itself, as if he was thinking of something that deeply intrigues him.
"Where's Secretary Araragi?" He asked, finally breaking the silence of the room. The others looked at each other, trying to search an answer to the President's question before a black-haired boy possessing a crystalline magenta blue eyes spoke, "Setsuna has something important to attend"
He raised an eyebrow, "More important than her duties?"
"With all due respect, President" A ginger-colored hair girl interrupted, her green eyes sternly and emotionlessly looking at the lavender eyes of the President, "Secretary Araragi has other more important duties to attend, she have told you one day prior of her sudden appointment"
"Did she?" He simply replied curtly with the same monotonous tone he's been known for. The latter only sighed and continued punching numbers on the laptop in front of her eyes, "If you're so obsessed in seeing her, then call her, dumbass"
The respective expressions carved the facea of some Student Council member, with the other boy unusually laughing at their bicker. The others were scared about what just the Treasurer said to the President, taking glances of the latter's expression.
But instead, all they found on his face was a stoic and emotionless expression. As if he was already used to in this treatment and has been in this situation for many times.
"Is it okay for you to say that to me, the President, Kanade?"
The aforementioned lady--Furimoto Kanade--teared away the attention she invested on the screen of her laptop and glared at the boy using her pair of emerald green eyes, not even unfazed of the consequences she would be facing after this whole ordeal.
"What? Going to punish me? I'd like you to try, Asano" She grunted, brushing off the strands of hair towards her back, "Seems like you were begging for it"
"Seems like you won't do it, coward"
"Come on, you two. We have to finish this pamphlets by tomorrow" The other boy ushered, flashing his charming smile that he was known for.
The other girl rolled her eyes as she stacked up the papers on her arm and with one swift move of her left foot, she slammed the sliding door of the Student Council room easily and without even breaking a sweat. She huffed loudly and went out gracefully, as if she didn't just make a scene out of just opening the door.
"Fumino's angry, tsk"
Gakushuu glared at the boy, "Do you know where's your sister?"
"Maybe doing something for our grandparents? Or attending Sena's appointments?"
"Asano's been searching for you yesterday, what did you do?"
She simply smiled at the girl's frustrated rants as she continued checking the list on the clip board. Every materials that caught her eyes are marked with a red check, singnifying that those are already delivered and place in the room.
"I wonder why would he find me? I told him specifically that I needed to do something important" She said in a sing-song manner, as if she intentionally did it to provoke the President.
"What?"
"What?"
"Are you seeing someone, Setsuna?"
Her blue eyes stared at the latter's green eyes, as if there was a silent communication or telepathy going on to the two of them.
"What makes you assume I have, Fumi?" She asked in a quite entertained tone, "Because it shows?"
"Why would you say I am seeing someone?" She asked in a quite teasing manner, as if she wanted the brown-haired girl to go crazy with the thought of her very best friend leaving her out in what she dubbed as the 'most important aspect of junior high school'.
"Hello, you're Araragi Setsuna. You are the Angel of Kunigaoka who has the looks, the talent and the wealth. Boys lined up to you like some blockbuster movie they wanted to watch or a favorite video game they ache to get." She complained, sparing a greeting to the teachers they passed in the hallway, "I'm suprised I have to remind you how awfully popular you are considering that boys from other school tries to get a glimpse of you"
"Says the one who rejected boys in an approximately 6 times in a week" Setsuna rolled her eyes playfully, receiving a soft nudge from Fumino.
"But seriously, you aren't seeing anyone?"
"If I am" She said, smiling to her best friend, "I'll be sure to tell you right away"
"No secrets, huh?"
"No secrets"
The girls both smiled at each othet before doing their usual routine as the member of Student Council. Every boy that they meet would either have this pink tint in their cheeks or those awkward gestures that easily tell them that these boys have took a liking on them.
And having boyfriend is a thing that she didn't cross out on her list. She could easily get one, if she wanted, but no boy or even some who asked her in other school took her interest.
Well, except for one.
As they passed the room of the Class 1-D, she managed to spare a meaningful glance to a red-haired boy who has a bored expression carved on his handsome face. It was definitely weird if the most sought bachelorette of Kunigaoka is actually after a boy who seemed to have zero interest in studying or even doing something productive.
But there is something in the way he looks with his gradient red eyes and the way he acted that made her entice. Weirdly enticed.
"Oh hey Setsuna" A blue-haired boy greeted, effectively blocking her from seeing the boy much longer, "What are you doing here?"
Her blue eyes stared at the boy in front of her before plastering the soft and kind smile she was known for, "Hello there, Nagisa"
The boy roamed his eyes on his cousin's arms and found a box full of materials, "I was just tasked to check some things here and there"
"Student Council?"
"Yes, as you can see" She sarcastically replied, with a playful smile along her lips.
"Really?" He taunted, pacing his attention back to the boy and to his cousin who was now fully aware of what the boy thought, "Because I saw you looking at Karma-kun"
For Heaven's sake, she thought. She knew Nagisa to be so observant but at this extent? She should really asked her dad to train her more in hiding her actions in a subtle manner or else, she would never beat Nagisa in their so-called assassination game.
"I didn't" She denied, knowing that it will be futile since Nagisa is a very observant person, "Really?"
"Why would I even look at him?"
"Maybe because you like him? Or have a crush on him"
She can only answer a smile to Nagisa's accusation. She doesn't have a crush with the particular red head, she was just only interested in him.
Okay, maybe that will count as a like but still, it wasn't enough to make her fall in love with him.
"Setsuna? Are you coming?" Fumino asked, looking at Nagisa and smiling at him before turning her attention back at the black-haired girl, "Yup, I was just chatting with my cousin"
"Yup" Nagisa smiled, "just chatting"
"Anyways, we better go. Bye, Nagisa" She bade, sparing a secret glance to the red haired teenage boy and finding him staring back at her with the same bored but with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
She turned her head away and to Fumino's suprise, she smiled brightly. As if she got the little toy she wanted, and it was certainly something that Fumino knew very well.
"So you do have someone you like" She muttered with her mouth slightly agape, "Well, maybe?"
"Satsuki will go nuts if he found out about it"
"Achoo! Someone must have been talking about me"
Gakushuu looked at the latter with eyes that says he cannot believe the atrocity he was saying. They were the only ones left in the Student Council Room, since the girls aren't back yet from their duties. Continous tapping of the keys in the laptop and occasional papers being flipped resonated the quite four corners of the room.
"Anyways, Satsuki" Gakushuu called out, catching the attention of the brunette, "is your sister seeing someone?"
"Setsuna? I don't think she's seeing someone. She's open about her secrets to me, not that I would want anyone to know our little secrets"
"Really?"
"Are you worried about her?" He asked, looking at the boy with eyes that reflect the deep, dark blue sea, "Figures. Shouko must have told you before she left"
His eyes slightly widened at the mention of the girl's name to him.
Araragi Shouko--the middle child of the triplets and the fourth among the five Araragi siblings--she is exceptionally known in Kunigaoka as the girl who defeated Asano Gakushuu, a prodigy in art and is a kindhearted person. Well, she is a bit of a tease and a person who loves to pull little pranks but she is above all, kind hearted as much as her siblings are.
That's why Asano Gakushuu, the person who was said to be a boy who is prone to love, manage to fall for the ever-playful Araragi Shouko.
Unfortunately, the older Araragi girl is currently at Paris studying. Their grandparents have offered to take her to Paris to further master her skills, leaving the romance she have with Gakushuu hanging.
"Are you still talking with each other? She's been asking me of your well-being"
Satsuki informed, his eyes observing how uncomfortable he is despite the blank expression he has, "We talk occasionally, but she and I are quite busy at this moment"
Lies. He thought. He knew who Asano Gakushuu is despite his stoic manner of expressing things, and he knew that the only person who could bring emotions that are out of his usual expression is none other than Shouko Araragi.
And yet, he would state that he isn't talking too much to her? He would even bet that he visits her as much as he can in Paris. After all, his sister isn't a bit open about her relationships than Setsuna is.
"I'm back" Setsuna greeted, looking at Gakushuu and Satsuki with suspicious eyes, "You're both eerily quiet"
"Where's Fumino?"
She looked at her brother and sighed, "Got called by a teacher"
He only nodded as a reply, faking a smile afterwards as he spin himself on the swivel chair. Setsuna's suspicious gaze still lingers at the two of them even after settling down on her own desk. With a stack of paper on her table, she began sorting them out and leaving the supposed questions she was tempting to ask the two of them about their conversation.
"A what?"
Karma is getting a little bit frustrated with Nagisa lately, no an hour earlier. The certain red-haired decided to ask him about the girl he was talking to earlier that kept on glancing at him. He doesn't want to assume, but he felt her gaze and when he decided to look, she turned her head away and walked as if nothing happened.
"You know, the girl earlier" He said, hiding the frustration on his voice. He was almost certain that Nagisa is purposely doing this to catch him off-guard.
A minute of silence enveloped them before Nagisa clicked his tongue, "You mean Setsuna? The girl I was talking earlier?"
Finally! He thought, satisfied with the end of this game, "Yeah, that girl"
"You're interested in her?" Nagisa asked with a shock evident on his tone. It was unusual for the red-haired to be interested in someone of opposite gender. What he always heard is that he kept receiving confessions and then brutally rejecting them, "Dunno? Maybe?"
"You've got a long line waiting for you"
"What?"
"Setsuna's super popular, you know. She's kind, she's very intelligent, she's elegant and poise, she's beautiful, she's diligent and she's responsible. Not to mention, she's got so much talent. Boys can't help but fall in love with her"
"You seem to know her too much"
"I'm her cousin, of course I know her" The latter said nonchantly, flipping the magazine in front of him in a fast pace and only stopping once the page took his interest, "She rejects them but they won't give up. Even boys from other schools go here just to confess to her"
Now, now, Karma wouldn't say he wasn't interested in the girl named Araragi Setsuna. No one can resist her charms, and Karma is one of the guys who can't. Even if he did say that he is interested in her, it wasn't on that level of him confessing to her because he just saw her, he never even interacted with her.
But the thought of him going out with her makes him a bit comfortable.
"Can you give me her cellphone number?"
"What?!" Nagisa exclaimed, abandoning the magazine he was pretty much interested in, "If you want to talk to her, talk to her personally not through chat. She doesn't reply to a stranger's number"
"Then how?"
"I got a perfect opportunity for you"
"So, this guy's going to join us"
Setsuna looked at Nagisa and then back to the guy beside him. Her crush is here, in front of her and her brain is slowly trying to process everything that is happening here. She knows for sure thay Nagisa is having the best moment of his life seeing her being like this but who cares about Nagisa right now?
Her crush is here.
Her freaking crush is here.
In front of her.
It finally dawns to her what kind of scenario is she in as she just nodded in reply and walked beside Nagisa aimlessly, without even a focus of what they were supposed to do.
"..una...Setsuna!"
"Y-Yes?!"
Nagisa looked at her worriedly, "I've been calling you for a few times now, is there something wrong?"
Her eyes roamed to Nagisa and then to Karma, and then back to her cousin. She took a deep breath and adjusted her coat, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just the spring breeze making me cold" She smiled, snaking her hands on Nagisa's left arm, "I heard there's a shop here that sells delicious milkshake!"
"Please don't tell me you're making me spend my money again"
"Oh no, it's on me" She grinned, looking at Nagisa and Karma, "I'll buy you two some milkshake"
"B-But Setsuna!"
"No buts! I know you're saving up on that game you've been wanting to play"
She smiled, a smile that shows her sincerity. A smile that shows how bright she is that she will be perfect among the blinking stars above.
And that made Karma stop.
He never knew that there could be a girl who could make him almost stop breathing, like she took away any space of his heart and owmed it in just a single smile of hers as he watched her back slowly disappear from his sight. Heck, he didn't even though such being would exist that would make his calm heart thump loudly.
This was love at first sight, he is so sure about it.
"Really.." He said, chuckling as Nagisa looked at him curiously, wondering why he suddenly laughed out of the blue. He watched him ruffle his hair as a smile, an unusual smile, rose in his lips, "She's dangerous.."
"Huh?"